Omaha daily bee., 1887-01-03
The Story of Mrs, Fosters Course in the Cam
paign of 1879 Again Brought to Light,
4 VlNolcATloN BEING PREPARED
So-Cailed Eortune-Finders Gulling
the People OF Iowa With Their
Scheme-Prof. Foster on
Deck Again.
The Temperance People Aroused.

cation OF an old Slander on their president,
Mrs j. Ellen Foster. During the campaign
OF 1879, Mrs. Foster was very active in advis-
ing against separate or third party organiza-
tion on the part OF the temperance folks,
and as a matter Of fact, the proposed move
ment was abandoned and the temperance
people very generally acted with and sup
ported the republican party. Some time af-
terwaids 1t was reported that Mrs. Foster
had been paid $1,000 by the republican state
central committee for her services in prevent
ing third party movement. The report has
been repeatedly denied, but II manages to
bob up serenely nearly every year in the col
umns of some democratic or assistant demo-
cratic to-wit: prohibition paper, for the pur-
pose of injuring Mrs. Foster, and breaking
down her influence with the temperance peo-
pie, who believe in non-partisan pro-
hibition. Three years ago, during
debate on prohibition in the senate,
Senator Bills, of Davenport, the
leading nti-prohibitionist in the legislature,
repeated the old story and was Immediately
duce the proof of his charge. lie retreated
behind hfs senatorial privilege" and gave
no proof, and the matter dropped. Recently
It has come M. again in letters from some
Iowa W. c. Il. u. women-violent st. john
ites-published in the Chicago Lever, q st.
John organ. Mrs. Fosters friends thought
that the matter had gone far enough, and so
have prepared a complete vindicaton of her
character, which they have Just published in
the official organ of the Iowa branch OF the
union. 1t includes letter from Hon. John
Rumclls, who in 1879 was chairman of the
republican state central committee, in which
he denies positively and meQuivocally that
Mrs. Foster was paid any sum of money for
her opposition to what was known as the
lation of the lie was chiefly due TO "a malice
which no representation OF the facts could
check" and so he had not before this taken
the trouble to deny it in public, though ne
had often done so in private. In addition to
Mr.. Runnelrs letter, the leading temperance
women OF the state, including nearly all the
officials in their state organization, mite in
card expressing their utter disbelief in the
condemnation OF the persons WHO have SO
persstently slandcred her. 1t is hoped that
with this final "sque!chcr' the dear sisters
will have peace in their order. But Mrs.
Testers prominence in opposing partisan
prohibition in the national association and
through the country at large, make her the
object of constant attack, especially from the
deputy democrats, the st. John crowd.
FRAUD EXPOSED.
That venerable dclusion that unclaimed
fortunes of vast amounts are boarded up in
the English chancery courts waiting for some
enterprising American to put in an appear
ance and sweep the stakes. is still travelling
in Iowa. Some of the claim agents vino for
a consideration will undertake to tell all they
don't know about the matter, have been be
guiling some of the unsophisticated in this
state. One victim writes that he read
Their advertisement and sent for one OF the +
books in which in a list Of $4,000 names, he
found his own family name. But to know
whether his christian name belonged to the
list would require an outlay of a couple of
dollars for another book. Next to obtain a
copy of any advertisement in which
claimants were called for would take another
fee then have important DEGREES, orders, etc,
of chancery carefully searched would take an
other, and SO on in sort OF progressive
euchre arrangement until the fees for finding
ont whether the individual stood any show for
a claim, amounted to 5000. After having
gone little way in this expensive road, he
Is anXionsly locking for some one to tell him
ne Who vi Gr net
bled on this old and yet allurlng scheme. IN
stead of being $3.50, 100000 of money awaiting
owners, there Is but about SSi,0UO 1000, and of
this sum $S3,0O0000 has already found its
rightful claimants, and dividends and inter
est are now being paid 10 them. But this
little million, as elusive as the lrishman's
flea, will probably be used for many years
yet to work unsophsticated folks, like this
Iowa farmer,
PROF. FOSTER AGAIN PREDICTING.
The festive weather prophet al Burlington,
Prof. Foster who aspiles to become the iowa
Virgins, leaps smilingly into the ring again
with several new predictions, though badly
knocked out with his last. He was several
degrees out of plumb on his predictions for
December storms, and so he is a little more
discreet in the way he proposes to sun. up
the weather in February. lie begins some
distance ahead, possibly with the idea that if
wrong many people will have forgotten his
predictions by that time while if right he can
easily claim the credit for the weather He
first throws out the hazardous guess that
there will be important storms during the
first eighteen days of February, and with il
the eminently safe remark that no single
storm of this storm period will reach every
part of the United States, but taking il the
whole period, 'they will cover every part of
the country east of the Rocky mountains
During this period there is to be every yarI-
ETY. of weather that an epicure could ask
There will be snow, rain, hail, high winds
and heavy gales" which also
seems to be an eminently safe
prediction. Coming down to particulars he
proposes to have a series of storms whose
principal disturbances will reach the MiSsis-
Sippi river moving eastward within twenty.
four hours of sundOwn of the following
dates: February /, 7, Is and Is. The storms
on the lst and 18th he expects to be the
heaviest and cover larLe scope of country
He has so much faith in their appearance
that he is ready to nut up S25 ON the strength
of It, which he will donate 10 the poor OF
Burlington if his two great storms do not
cross the river at the time designated, the bet
Is of course conditional that some unbeliever
will put up similar amount to he given to q
like purpose in case he is mistaken. So the
professor seems to be pretty confident that